The reason why Yuchi Gong gave up the East Palace and chose the Jin Dynasty was not a decision made in a flash. Fighting for heirlooms has always been the most dangerous thing. The gains are huge and the risks are even greater. It is related to his own life and the rise and fall of the entire family.
How could we give up our previous attachment and change our ways simply because we were afraid that the prince might be suppressed after he came to power?
There is no doubt that His Majesty Li Er's control over the Tang Empire is definitely the most brilliant among all the emperors in history. As long as His Majesty Li Er is still alive, no one will dare to act against his will, even if he has great power and prestige.
For a person like Changsun Wuji, wouldn't he dare to raise troops to rebel only after confirming the news of His Majesty's death?
Of course, there must be some unknown secret behind the reason why His Majesty Li Er used the strategy of cheating death to confuse Changsun Wuji and prompt him to eliminate his fear and raise an army.
But no matter what, Yuchi Gong believed that His Majesty Li Er must be the dominant one. Otherwise, how could Changsun Wuji alone threaten His Majesty's life?
His Majesty Li Er was interested in King Jin taking over the throne during his lifetime, so it was absolutely impossible for him to only give verbal support. He must have given King Jin a huge help secretly, so that he could face the pressure of the Eastern Palace.
It needs to be known that after the Guanlong Mutiny, the army belonging to the East Palace won a huge victory in the flames of war, which raised its combat power and morale to a new height. Looking at Guanzhong, which army is facing the Sixth Army of the East Palace?
, when you are garrisoning on the right side, you dare to say that you will win?
His Majesty Li Er first transferred the six leaders of the East Palace out of the capital, and then took away Fang Jun's position as the General of the Youtun Guard, and replaced him with Li Daozong as the commander of the Youtun Guard. This was equivalent to removing two arms of the East Palace.
Then there is Wang Shoushi, who just led him at the door. He is the leader of His Majesty Li Er's secret army of soldiers. Although this army of soldiers suffered heavy losses during the Guanlong Mutiny, they suffered heavy losses from the powerful attacks of "Baiqisi" and Jingzhao Mansion.
But it will never be completely destroyed. There will always be some deeper hidden power for King Jin to use...
Coupled with the fact that the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan publicly expressed their support for the King of Jin in his fight for the throne after entering the court, the King of Jin's strength in both military and political aspects skyrocketed, and he still steadily dominated the East Palace.
At the moment, the only thing that the East Palace can rely on is the so-called "righteousness", but if there is no such thing as a posthumous edict, it naturally does not exist, but if it does exist, it is not difficult...
In the end, it only depends on the outcome, who cares about authenticity?
As long as the King of Jin wins the final victory and ascends the throne as emperor, even if he, Yu Chigong, is here to perform a copy of His Majesty's "edict", it will be recognized as His Majesty's original work afterwards...
*****
There are incense and candles lingering in the Wude Hall. Although the water and land dojo outside the palace gate is still filled with music, the sound is slightly quieter at night, so it is a bit misty and leisurely in the wind and rain. On the contrary, it is better than the "Underworld Wu" with the bells and drums beating in the daytime.
"Zha Dazhai" adds a bit of sad atmosphere...
In a clean room at the back of the main hall, Li Chengqian sat on a soft cushion dragging his painful injured leg, slowly drinking hot tea to regain his energy.
In front of him, Li Ji sat opposite, Li Xiaogong and Fang Jun were on the left and right.
Li Chengqian put the tea cup on the table, rubbed his face, and asked: "Is there any unusual movement in the Sixteenth Guards Army in various places in Guanzhong?"
When the imperial power changes, it is most dangerous and unpredictable. If you are not careful, it will be a huge disaster, ranging from military admonishment to rebellion. Don't look at the important ministers in the court who quote the classics and honor their righteousness. When it comes to the final decision of victory or defeat.
It has to be the army.
Li Ji said solemnly: "For the time being, it's okay. Most of them remain neutral and have no obvious tendency. Except for the right marquis guard, there are no troops who have left the camp without permission."
Li Chengqian nodded slightly, his face solemn.
"There is no obvious tendency" is actually a tendency. After all, without his father's imperial edict, he is still the crown prince of the Tang Empire, the first heir to the throne, and the sixteenth guardian after his father's death. The general should immediately swear allegiance. Since these people are watching from the other side at this moment, their position is obvious.
The situation is not optimistic...
Li Xiaogong said: "Since the Duke of E has entered the palace to mourn for His Majesty, let him stay in the palace for the time being. He will not leave the palace until the day after tomorrow."
Li Ji frowned slightly.
This is to put Yuchigong under house arrest in the palace to prevent him from doing anything detrimental to the stability of the court after returning to the army...
What is currently destabilizing the situation with North Korea?
Naturally, he opposed the crown prince's enthronement and supported the Jin king's ascendance...
As long as he agrees now, it means that he has chosen to side with the prince.
Speaking of which, Li Xiaogong now plans to completely support the crown prince as he ascends the throne?
This goes against the tacit understanding between the two...
Seeing that Li Ji was silent, Fang Jun said directly: "Now that the matter has come to an end, the prince will ascend the throne and read out the memorial rites during the burial ceremony, offering amnesty to the whole world. He also asked the British Duke to preside over the funeral ceremony at that time, stabilize the situation of the court, and make the throne change smoothly. Avoid future troubles.”
He had strong objections to Li Ji's staying out of the matter and protecting his own safety. It would be fine if he was an ordinary minister. He didn't want to be involved in the whirlpool of fighting for the throne and heirs. But you, Li Ji, are the chief minister and the leader of the military. I don't know how many Everyone is watching your attitude and waiting for your statement. Doesn't your refusal to take sides make the situation more chaotic?
For the sake of the overall situation, even if you shout "Long live King Jin" now, it is better than staying silent...
Li Ji's expression remained unchanged and he said to Li Chengqian: "Shen's duty is to maintain the stability of the court and ensure the succession of the throne. As long as His Majesty does not leave an edict to depose His Highness the Crown Prince from the throne, I will firmly support His Highness."
Li Chengqian's face was as dark as water, and he looked at Li Ji without saying a word.
No matter how good-tempered a person is, when the throne is at stake at this moment, he will inevitably get angry and extremely dissatisfied... Doesn't the fact that the imperial edict is being passed on over and over again proves that this fictitious edict will definitely appear one day?
Of course, he also understood that no matter who wanted to compete with him for the throne, in order to be justified, they would concoct an edict to pass the throne, regardless of whether the edict was true or false.
Whether the government and the public agree with the possible edict does not depend on the edict itself, but on whether it is in their own interests...
All the words of loyalty and bravery, and the importance of the country's fortifications, in the final analysis are just to cover up one's own greed for profit.
Only a brave and loyal person like Fang Jun could have the courage to stand up and maintain the integrity of the empire when his throne was on the verge of collapse and his future was bleak, regardless of personal gains or losses.
This is pure minister!
People like Li Ji and Xiao Yu are just bureaucrats with far-sighted plans and sophisticated methods. They can't be said to be a vegetarian, but they absolutely have no character. They trample on the bottom line. They only care about the progress of their family and one surname, and ignore the interests of the empire. How can there be half a point? Zhengzheng ambition?
Comparing the two, I feel more and more how loyal and benevolent Fang Jun is, and I secretly make up my mind that as long as I can successfully ascend the throne this time, I will never let him down in this life...
Fang Jun sneered and said: "The British Lord's words may seem fair and impartial, but in fact they are extremely confusing. If Your Majesty left a legacy, why would no one in the civil and military circles know about it? What if a so-called legacy came out of nowhere someday? , can the British prince still believe it to be true? The inheritance of the throne is vital to the empire's long-term plan. If you take a wrong step today and allow the throne to be trampled on, anyone can get involved. Every time the throne changes in the future, it will be accompanied by bloodshed, and one generation after another will be trapped in internal strife. , disputes, until the foundation of the empire completely collapses, how many years can this huge empire last, and how many generations can it be passed down? At that time, what the British Lord did today will definitely be regarded as the origin of the empire's overthrow. Is it right or wrong? I'm afraid it will be the next one. It’s hard to compliment someone.”
Some people do not understand the family, the country, the world, but they are unable to break away from the fetters of the family, so they can only wander in the long river of history. Some people are in a prosperous life, and it is not harmful to do something that harms the interests of the country. At most, they have a little reputation. Flaws: Some people are in troubled times, but they still put their family first and seize the last traces of the country's heritage for themselves. Therefore, they are infamous and will be infamy for generations.
Li Ji was very lucky, because he was the former. Even if he was selfish and ignored the interests of the country, the most recorded in the history books was "he served as prime minister and assistant, doing nothing", but this also caused Wu Zetian to usurp the Tang Dynasty as the Zhou Dynasty, and almost ruined the Tang Dynasty Zuo...
From a historical perspective, it seems that what Li Ji did was not a big mistake. It was Li Zhi who single-handedly supported Wu Zetian to a position of "Queen of Heaven" that was enough to usurp the country. But from the perspective of the times, Li Ji actually contributed to Wu Zetian's usurpation of the throne. One of the culprits, as the prime minister and a military giant of the Tang Dynasty, yet he took the attitude of silently watching and watching the fire from the other side when the abolition of the queen was enough to shake the foundation of the empire, which was a serious dereliction of duty.
The reason was simply that Guanlong was powerful at the time and seriously threatened his status, so he wanted to use Wu Zetian's help to eliminate his political opponents.
However, they did not consider that the reason why Li Zhi ascended the throne was because of the support of the Guanlong Clan. After he ascended the throne, the Guanlong Clan controlled the government, covering the sky with one hand, and its power was so huge that it could not be increased. At that time, the Guanlong Clan had already been deeply rooted and penetrated into all aspects of the empire's military and political affairs. They were suddenly eliminated, resulting in The national political system that relied on it collapsed.
Perhaps the powerful officials such as Li Ji did not have other ideas in mind. After all, they followed His Majesty Li Er to conquer this empire. They made outstanding achievements and died with the country. The reason why they did things that harmed the empire was just the limitation of the times. It broadens their horizons and minds.
But in the final analysis, their selfishness planted a seed for the collapse of the empire and ultimately bore a bitter fruit...
Li Zhi was a wise monarch with almost full political talent, and Wu Zetian was even more arrogant in strategy and methods. After completely expelling the Guanlong clan from the court, these two tried hard to maintain the stability of the government, but they also had to support poor families and use the military. The party uses strong suppression to achieve stability.
The result is that the military power in various places is overwhelming, and the local clans who have been forced to withdraw from the court secretly control the money and lifeline. The two sides work together, and eventually form a warlord separatist regime, which cannot be eliminated.
By the time of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, it seemed that the world was prosperous and prosperous, but in fact, a pattern of strong branches and weak trunks had already been formed. At that time, the influence of the Li and Tang royal families came back, and coupled with Tang Xuanzong's clever political methods, the balance between the court and the localities was barely maintained.
In his later years, when the government was in chaos, hidden dangers finally broke out and became out of control...
History has incredible inertia. The occurrence of certain things in a certain period of time may seem accidental, but in fact the root causes have been planted ten or even decades ago. When things come to a head, things will become so fierce and mighty that there is no way to correct the chaos.